Letramento em saúde bucal, qualidade de vida e acesso à assistência odontológica de pessoas vivendo com HIV/AIDS

Abstract

Oral health is considered a necessity and is part of systemic health throughout life. When deficient it can impact quality of life, especially in patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The objective of this study was to evaluate oral health literacy, quality of life and access to dental care of people living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (PLHIV)/AIDS. This is a cross-sectional study, of mixed approach, with primary data collection, and with non-probabilistic and convenience sample. Adult (age ≥ 18 to 59 years) and elderly (age ≥ 60 years) individuals of both genders who attended the Specialized Care Service and STI/AIDS Testing and Counseling Center of the 15th Regional Office of Maringá-PR in the period from October 2020 to January 2021 were invited to participate. The oral health literacy was verified by the BREALD-30 questionnaire, the quality of life by WHOQOL-HIV bref and the accessibility to dental care by interview. n all domains we observed intermediate and superior evaluations of quality of life. When associated with sociodemographic characteristics, patients aged up to 39 years showed better quality of life, as well as patients with high school and college education. Patients who considered themselves healthy and were taking antiretroviral therapy also had better scores. When oral health literacy was evaluated, the majority 34 (42.50%) of the participants reached a moderate level in relation to the BREALD-30 score, 26 (32.50%) a low level, and 20 (25.00%) a high level of oral health literacy. It was observed that the higher the education, the higher the level of oral health literacy (p=0.0002). Regarding oral health literacy and quality of life, no significant differences were observed between the domains of the WHOQOL-HIV bref and the three levels of classification of the BREALD-30. Access to dental care has achieved improvements, however, it is still not fully effective in the care of PLHIV. The stigma and discrimination are still present in health services. It is necessary greater knowledge of professionals and PLHIV in relation to the disease and the adequacy of operator-patient communication so that the information provided is understood and applied to improve health, increase adherence to treatment and improve the quality of life of individuals.